Footsteps sounded behind her on the hardwood floor. Startled, she whirled around. Liam was standing there, a look of unease stamped on his face.
“I couldn’t bear to tell you. I tried several times, but I never could do it.” His voice sounded ragged.
“You didn’t try hard enough,” she cried. “All of this time you could have said something to me. You had plenty of moments.”
He took a step toward her. She held up her hands to ward him off. She needed to keep him at a distance.
“You were trying to get your life back and bond with our son. Flashes of memory were returning to you. Maybe it was selfish, but I didn’t want to run the risk of everything falling apart if you found out.”
“I took off my wedding rings. We were breaking up. That’s huge.” She felt numb. How she had prayed this one memory wasn’t true. But it was true, and now she had to figure out what it meant for her marriage to Liam.
He nodded. “It’s true that we weren’t in a good place, Ruby.”
His admission frightened her. Suddenly every ounce of security she had established in Love felt as if it were slipping out of her grasp. She raised her hand to her mouth as a sob bubbled up inside her. Why had he allowed her to believe they were a storybook couple?
“I can’t believe this! Everything I believed about us is a lie.”
“No! It wasn’t a lie. Relationships ebb and flow, Ruby. Sure, we were grappling with certain issues, but we loved each other. That’s the biggest truth of all.”
“But we were separating. Breaking up,” she cried out.
“We would have found our way back to one another. I know it!”
She sank onto the bed as if her legs were too weak to hold her up. “It feels like I don’t know much of anything. Everything between us since I’ve been back in Love has been based on what I thought we had. Everyone here in town told me we were this amazing couple, but the truth is, they didn’t know our struggles or that we might not have stayed together.”
“I know this is confusing to you, but it doesn’t change what we were...the love we shared. We were devoted to each other, Ruby. Head-over-heels, besotted, crazy-in-love fools. Did we have rough times? Yes. Did we fall short of what we wanted to be? Yes. But the good times far outweighed the bad.” A sheen of tears shone in his eyes. “I know we would have stuck it out because I vowed it to you on the day we got married.”
She shook her head. “If all that is true, why weren’t you honest with me?”
“Because after losing you, I couldn’t stand the thought of going through it all over again. I wasn’t confident that I could tell you without losing you. I allowed fear to cloud my better judgment. I was afraid for Aidan, as well, and what it would mean for him if you took off back to Colorado.”
“Stop hiding behind Aidan! Ever since I came back you’ve been avoiding the elephant in the room. You made me believe that we had this beautiful, perfect marriage. And so did everyone else in this town—” Suddenly she wasn’t just furious with Liam. She was angry at the townsfolk for giving credence to the fairy tale. And she was furious with God, for allowing her to believe she had found her way back to the place she belonged.
“It wasn’t perfect, but it was everything we ever wanted it to be.”
“That’s not true,” she said in a steely voice. “I remember the fighting and the bitterness. We were planning a separation. That’s not what most couples dream about.”
Liam grimaced. “You brought up the idea of a separation after things got heated between us. I hated the fact that you were going out on these dangerous missions and putting your life at risk. One of your search-and-rescue colleagues had been killed in a previous mission. I wanted you here in Love, with us, where it was safe.”
Ruby raised her hand to her head. It still ached. “And I told you that my profession was a big part of me and that I wouldn’t be whole without it.”
Liam nodded, his expression grim. “Neither of us was willing to budge.”
“So we broke?” Ruby’s lips quivered. She had bought into the fairy tale of her blissful marriage to Liam. The perfect couple with the high-powered careers and the adorable son. Not a single person had described them as anything other than euphoric. Suddenly nothing made sense. Liam wasn’t the man or the partner she had believed him to be. And it hurt terribly. The pain threatened to strangle her.
“We weren’t broken. A little chipped and frayed around the edges, perhaps. But none of that is what’s most important. We’re two people who were given an opportunity to repair the pain in our marriage. Try to remember us, Ruby. Who we truly were. What we can be again.”
She shook her head. “Nothing beautiful or lasting can be built on deception. I remember enough to know that, Liam. It wasn’t pretty.”
“I think you’re falling in love with me all over again. You already have my heart, Ruby. There’s nothing standing in our way. Let’s not put up obstacles.”
She gathered her strength and stood. “So, tell me one thing, Liam. Would you still hold me back from doing search-and-rescue work?”
“Don’t ask me that question.” Liam gritted his teeth.
She locked gazes with him, letting him know in no uncertain terms that she expected an answer.
He let out a groan. “My head says no, but my heart says yes. I lost you once due to unacceptable risks. How could I ever be on board with you returning to that line of work?” His brow was furrowed. His features radiated intensity.
Ruby shuddered. Up until today it had felt as if they were moving toward their own happily-ever-after. But now, after what she had discovered, it felt as if everything was falling apart.
“I need to go, Liam. I can’t keep going around and around this with you. Aidan is taking his nap.” She began walking toward the door. Liam reached out and grabbed her arm. She shrugged him off.
“Please don’t go. Stay and talk this through with me. There’s not a thing we can’t figure out together.” There was a pleading quality to Liam’s voice that made her want to stick around and hash things out. But she was so confused about everything. At the moment she didn’t know up from down. And she needed time to sort things through.
“I can’t. Truthfully, it’s really hard for me to look at you right now.”
She raced to the living room, picked up her purse and keys and headed out into the Alaskan afternoon. Ruby had no idea where she was headed, but the one thing she knew for certain was that she no longer felt safe and secure in her world.
* * *
Liam watched through the bay window as Ruby roared off down the road. Pain ricocheted through him like bullets. He closed his eyes and prayed to God for a reprieve. This was what he had been so afraid of—losing Ruby all over again. It was the reason he had steeled his heart from her until she had worn down his defenses. Once again, he felt like he was being ripped up inside. And there was nothing he could do to stop the tidal wave of pain. He just had to endure it.
He had failed Aidan. And Ruby. And, ultimately, himself.
“Daddy?” Liam turned at the sound of Aidan’s sleep-infused voice.
“Hey, A-man,” he said. He was trying his best to keep his voice normal. The last thing he wanted was to upset Aidan. “How was your nap?”
“I had a bad dream. There was a snow monster and it came to take Mommy.” His lips trembled and he raised his arms to be lifted up.
Liam scooped Aidan into his arms and patted his back to soothe him. “Aw, I’m sorry. Nightmares can be really scary. They seem so real, don’t they?”
Aidan nodded as he wiped away tears with the back of his hand. “Where’s Mommy?”
“She had to go out for a little bit.”
Aidan frowned. “But what if something happened to her? What if the snow monster got her again?”
Liam walked over to the couch and set Aidan down.
He sat next to him. “She didn’t get eaten by the snow monster. That’s not going to happen again.”
“Promise?”
“Yes. I can’t promise that nothing bad is ever going to happen, but I can tell you for sure that the snow monster isn’t going to hurt your mother. Not ever again.”
Aidan nestled his head against Liam’s chest. He felt his heart tighten painfully. The love he felt for his son knew no bounds. It literally threatened to bring him to his knees. And it terrified him to think his actions had jeopardized their family’s future. Because of him and the pressures he’d placed on her, Ruby might choose not to stick around.
Please, Lord. Don’t let Ruby walk away from us. She’s the love of my life. The mother of my child. Give me an opportunity to make things right and to show her that there’s nothing we can’t get past.
* * *
Ruby drove around Love with her thoughts jumbled and chaotic. She had no idea of where to go. Every tie she had in this town led straight back to Liam. Liam. The man she loved. It was too late to rein herself in. She had already fallen deeply, completely, in love with him. And now, knowing their marriage had been in trouble, she had no clue what it meant for their future.
Did they even have one now? Liam hadn’t been honest with her. How could their future be built on a lie? She didn’t know if she could trust him moving forward. She felt almost as confused as she had when she’d first arrived in town.
After riding around for a while, Ruby parked her car in front of the Love Free Library. It was such a beautiful place. Maybe she could go in and sit somewhere soothing so she could think. Annie seemed to be the sort of person who wouldn’t pry and, if she needed to, she would be someone to confide in about Liam.
Ruby walked toward the library and looked up at the gold-and-cream library sign. She stopped to read the words etched on the front of the library. Love is patient. Love is kind. The verse from Corinthians. She knew it on a deep level. It spoke to her.
Liam had recited it to her at their wedding. It had been part of their vows. And she had recited it to him, as well. She could see it all in her mind’s eye. Her romantic, elegant wedding gown. Liam looking handsome in his dark tux with his brothers at his side. In her hand she’d held a bouquet of forget-me-nots as she walked down the aisle on Kyle’s arm. There had been such a look of love stamped on Liam’s face as Pastor Jack pronounced them husband and wife.
More than anything, she recalled the way she had felt that day. Hopeful. Certain. Committed. She had known on that day that she had wanted to be married to Liam Prescott more than anything else in the world.
Ruby quickly reversed herself and headed straight back to the car. At this moment all she felt was overwhelming love and gratitude for the man she had vowed to love for a lifetime.
* * *
Liam heard the front door open with a bang. Ruby! He walked toward the hallway. Ruby was standing in the foyer. He stopped, uncertain as to what he was walking toward.
“Liam!” With a wild cry, Ruby dropped her purse and beat a fast path toward him. He met her halfway, reaching down and gathering her up by her waist so that she was in his arms.
He was cradling her against him, not wanting to ever let her go. Although he’d known it wasn’t likely, he’d feared that she might never come back to him. The very thought of it had been unbearable.
He set her down, gazing into her tear-filled brown eyes. “I’m so happy you’re back. I love you so much.”
“Oh, Liam, I never should have walked out. I should have stuck around to listen and try to understand.”
He smoothed her hair back and kissed her on her forehead. “Shh. I don’t care. What’s important is that you’re here. And I plan to show you how much I love you, Ruby. You’ll never have to doubt us ever again.”
Tears streamed down Ruby’s face. “No, I won’t ever question it again. I love you, Liam. After I left here, God pointed me in the right direction. He shined a bright light on our love. I remembered our wedding day and the vows we exchanged. Love is patient. Love is kind.”
Liam blinked past his own tears. “Love never fails.”
“Love never fails,” Ruby repeated, reaching up on her tiptoes to place a tender kiss on her husband’s lips.
“I’m going to support you, Ruby, no matter what decisions you make in the future about your career. There’s no way anything is going to tear us apart. After everything we’ve been through, the rest should be a cakewalk.”
“What matters is that we’re in this for the long haul. That’s what we promised each other on our wedding day. That we would stick it out come what may.” Tears pooled in Ruby’s eyes. She was getting choked up. “I promise never to forget the road that led us to where we are today.”
“Marry me, Ruby.” He cupped her face between his palms.
“Did you forget? We’re already married,” Ruby said with a chuckle.
“In some ways that was a lifetime ago. Let’s renew our vows. At Christmas. Let’s remind all our friends and family that our love has endured...and is thriving. Let’s serve as an example that love is worth fighting for.”
“I’ll marry you again, Dr. Prescott. Today. Tomorrow. Any day of the week.”
Liam dipped his head and placed a triumphant kiss on his wife’s lips. He hoped it conveyed everything he felt for her and all the hopes he held for their future.
“I’m going to hold you to that, my beautiful Ruby.”
The lights from the Christmas tree sparkled brightly as Liam and Ruby kissed to celebrate their happy news. Years ago at Christmas they had committed themselves to walking through life together. Now, all these years later, they were going to do it all over again. Ruby and Liam knew the most important thing of all was to love one another.
Epilogue
“So what’s my job again?” Aidan asked as he looked up at his father.
Liam and Aidan had just finished changing into their tuxedoes in one of the waiting rooms inside the church. Liam bent down to fix Aidan’s crimson bow tie so it would sit straight instead of crooked.
“Your job is to stand up for me as my best man,” Liam said. He reached out and tousled his son’s curly hair. “You have to hand me the rings when it’s time to put them on Mommy’s finger.”
Aidan grinned, showcasing a missing front tooth. He had lost his very first tooth two nights ago and had been showing it off ever since. “She’s going to be happy about the new stone you added. It’s awesome.”
Liam took the ring out of his pocket and admired it for a moment. The ruby stone sparkled next to the diamonds. It signified a new beginning. The past had been their foundation, but they were looking forward to a future ripe with promise. Over the last few weeks they had both learned what mattered most. Above all else, their family reigned supreme. And despite any obstacles that might come their way, they were in this for life. Till death do us part.
“I’ll hold on to these until we get to the altar,” Liam suggested, tucking the rings into his jacket pocket.
“Phew,” Aidan said, wiping his hand across his forehead. “That’s a lot of responsibility for a kid.”
A slight tapping noise drew their attention to the door.
“Come in,” Liam called out, wondering if Pastor Jack or one of his brothers had stopped by to check in. The door slowly opened to reveal Ruby standing at the threshold in her ivory wedding gown.
For a moment all Liam could do was gape at her. Her long hair had been swept up in an elegant twist, with tendrils of hair framing her beautiful face. The dress—the same one she’d worn at their original wedding—was romantic and ethereal. A crown of holly and red berries sat on top of her head, serving as a glorious reminder of their Christmas wedding.
Liam couldn’t form a sentence for a few seconds. The sight of his bride in her full wedding regalia was mind-blow
ing. “Ruby, you look...magnificent.”
“Mom, you look so pretty.” Aidan chimed in.
“Thank you,” Ruby said. She winked at Aidan. “Both of you look incredibly handsome. You sure clean up well.”
Aidan frowned at her. He looked back and forth between his parents. “Hey! I thought the two of you weren’t supposed to see each other before the ceremony.”
“Technically, that is the tradition...” Ruby hedged. “But since we’re already married, I don’t think we’re breaking any rules.”
Aidan shrugged. “Sounds good to me.”
“Hey, buddy, why don’t you go see if Jasper is here? I think your mom might want to tell me something in private,” Liam said.
“Sure thing,” Aidan said. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to go check on the uncles and make sure they know what they’re doing.”
“Don’t mess up your tux,” Ruby called after him.
As soon as the door slammed behind him, Ruby and Liam exchanged a tender smile.
“I wanted to tell you something before we renew our vows.”
He studied her face. “I can tell there’s something lying on your heart.”
She reached out and entwined his hands with hers. “I’ve decided not to get recertified in search and rescue.” She let out a deep breath. “That’s all over for me now.”
Liam’s mouth opened. He fumbled for words. “What? But it’s always been so important to you.”
“It has been. And it was a wonderful career. But it was part of the past. My life is leading me in another direction.”
“Are you sure about this? I want to make certain that you’re fulfilled, not just in our home life but professionally, as well. That’s important to me.”
“I’ll always value the work I did, but I don’t want to take risks like that anymore. I want to close that chapter of my life. All I’ll ever need to be fulfilled is you...and Aidan and our faith. And whatever other little ones we may be blessed with down the road.”
“Oh, Ruby, as long as it’s something you’re willingly letting go of... I’ll never stand in your way. Not ever again.”
Reunited at Christmas Page 17
